Railroad-spike.



C. E. PROWELL.

RAILROAD SPIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1913.'

1,083,559. I Patented Jan.6,19 14.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLARNCE E. PROWELL, OF CHESTER, ILLINOIS.

RAILROAD-SPIKE.

Application filed May 3, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARNcE E. PRowELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chester, in the county of Randolph and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Railroad-Spikes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a railroad spike designed especially to act as a brace and to prevent spreading of the rails.

The spike is also designed to hold the rail in position with a less number of spikes 1n the tie than is now commonly employed, thereby avoiding the weakening of the tie by driving an excessively large number of metal spikes into the tie.

Vith these objects in view, the invention consists of the novel features of construction hereinafter described, pointed out in the claims and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a top plan View.

In the drawings 1 represents the ordinary holding spike having a head portion 2 prolonged to fit against the rail base, and said spike is connected by a cross member 3, formed by a continuation of the head 2 upon the outer side of the spike, with a supplemental spike i of less length than the spike l and having its end cut obliquely as shown at 5, thereby forming an inclined face opposite to one side of the spike 1. The connecting member 3 is provided with a web 6 the lower edge of which slants downwardly and Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 6, 1914.

Serial No. 765,347.

outwardly to the spike member 4, and this web is substantially continued upon the outer side of the member 4 by a bracing web 7 which bears upon the upper face of the tie, the webs 6 and 7 forming substantially an inclined brace for the rail base. A spike of this kind can be quickly driven into position to hold the rail firmly and prevent lateral spreading and can be extracted by the same instrument now commonly employed for pulling the single headed spikes.

What I claim is 1. The combination with a spike, of a supplemental spike, the heads of said spikes being continued to form an integral connection between the said spikes, one of said spikes being of less length than the other, and the said shorter spike terminating in an oblique face upon the side adjacent the longer spike, and a downwardly and outwardly inclined web carried by the head and upon the outer side of the shorter spike.

2. A double spike, the heads of which are connected, one of said spikes being of less length than the other and obliquely cut at its free end, a connecting web between said spikes, said web having a downwardly and outwardly inclined face and a supplemental web having a similar face and integral with the outer head portion of the shorter spike.

GLARNCE E. PROWELL.

Witnesses:

WVM. R. KARSTETER,

W. L. ADAMs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

